Safety razor



March 1o, 1942.

H. C. FAY

SAFETY RAZOR Filed July l, 1941 7.34- nn/nnnnnnnnnnn Patented Mar. 10, 1942 'UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE SAFETY RAZOR Harold C. Fay, Floral Park, N. Y.

Application July 1, 1941, Serial No. 400,585

4 Claims.

This invention "relates to safety razors and more particularly to the type wherein a double-edged iiexible blade is employed, although as will be apparent from the following description, the invention might also be effectively adopted for use in safety razors of thetype employing a rigid or `relatively inflexible blade.

Although at times, variances from the accepted, or standard, rectangularly-shaped razor head and blade have been suggested, the rectangular shape has enjoyed` great popularity and use, despite numerous inconveniences had in using it. Such standard rectangular shape of `razor is difficult to use around the base of the nose; it is diiicult to use in shaving around the redges of a moustache and it does not facilitate the employment of the desirable oblique or angular shaving stroke. The rectangular-head razor is objectionable because of several primary reasons, namely, the width and shape of the blade decreases visibility and prevents the shaver from actually seeing the area in which the cutting edge is placed in contact with the face;` the blade, being of substantial width, casts a shadow which tends to obscure the portion of the face with which the edgeof the blade contacts, and finally, thecentral location of the handle of a razor of this kind places the hand of the shaver in such a position that it tends to obscure the vision and prevents the point of contact of the blade, or the cutting portion thereof, from being clearly seen.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a razor, including a cutting blade therefor, having such a shape as will obviate the various `objections above mentioned; which will greatly facilitate the shaving of portions of the face or body now found difficult to reach and vshave without the possibilityof cutting the skin:

Another object of the invention is to provide `a razor head and blade therefo-r in substantially the shape of a right-angle triangle, thus providing a tapering end terminal of reduced width and capable of conveniently and easily reaching parts to be shaved. Such an arrangement, including the disposition of a handlelocated to one side of the transverse center lineof the razor and near the wider end of the same, provides a convenience in the manipulation of the razor andy brings the operating hand as remotely` positioned as possible from the point of shaving contact.

`Anotherobject of the invention is to provide an improved blade of such a` shape that it may be conveniently and inexpensive made without waste, and in fact with considerable saving, of material.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the `provision of a razor head, including guard, blade, and blade-clamping means, all in substantially the shape of a ,fright-angle triangle, with a handle therefor located to one side of the transverse center line of the razor blade and adjacent to the wider end of the blade.

I am aware that prior to the present invention, efforts have been made to produce a razor, including a blade, of tapering or triangular form, but in all instances, two of the cutting edges of the blade have been disposed at an acute angle to the remaining edge of the blade. Such an arrangement, coupled with the central placement of the handle, is not particularly effective in it( creasing shaving efficiency, and such types have apparently been found `to present no material advantages over the ordinary rectangular shape.

In the accompanying drawing, forminga part hereof, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a razor constructed according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a sectional View In the drawing, and particularly in Fig. 4, I indicates one of the blades of therazor, the same in the embodiment shown, being of thin, iiexible metal, and `having the form of a right-angle triangle. The shape of the blade is such that it provides a, short cutting edge 2 and a longer cutting edge 3, the latter edge constituting the hypothenuse of the triangle andthus being of greater length than the cutting edge 2 and meeting `said edge 2 in afslightly rounded, pointed terlminal 4. Because of the angular disposition of the longer cutting edge 3 relative to the cutting edge 2, said edge 3 `is herein referred to as the fangular cutting edge.` At its oppositeend the blade has an end 5., `said end being disposed at right angles to the cutting edge 2.

By producing the blade .in the shape of a `right angle triangle, itis possible to stamp or `cut `two blades `of similar shape from a rectangular section 6 of the steel strip 'l lfrom, which safety razor blades of this class are produced. This will be apparent from Fig. 4 wherein such a strip is shown. It will be therein seen that when a rectangular section 6 is cut diagonally, or

on the bias, and substantially on the line 8, two right-angle triangles result, each of which constitutes a blade as above described. The resultant triangular blades, formed as just described, may be conveniently wrapped and packaged due to the fact that two of the blades, placed in juxtaposition with their angular cutting edges 3 adjacent one another, form a rectangle.

The blades constructed as described are each provided with one or more apertures I4 through which suitably shaped studs Ill and I2 or other projections provided on the clamping plate II are adapted to extend, said stu-ds I and I2 as well as the threaded stud 20, holding the blade between the clamping plate II and the guard plate I3, the latter being apertured for the reception of the several studs I0, I2 and 20.

The threaded stud is received into the internally threaded recess I5 in the upper end of the handle I6, and the position of the threaded stud 20 and the opening I4 is such that when the handle is threaded on the stud 20, it will be located to one side of the transverse center line of the razor, and situated relatively near to the wider end 5 of the blade and as remotely as possible from the pointed terminal 4. This off-set position of the handle with respect to the razor has several advantages, one of which is that it removes the hand of the shaver as far away as possible from the tapered or narrower end of the razor which is that portion with which the more critical shaving is performed at the less accessible portions of the face, namely, around and below the nose, around the edges of a moustache or small beard or in and adjacent to a notch in the chin or other facial .recesses. Another advantage of the off-setting of the handle is that the same is thus located substantially at the center of gravity of the razor so that despite the fact that the razor is wider at one en-d than at the other, it is balanced, and may be handled skillfully and efficiently even by inexperienced shavers.

In using the razor, the position of the handle requires that the razor be so held that the hand holding the razor is as remote as possible from the area in which the shaving takes place. That is to say, when one side of the face is being shaved, the longer and angular cutting edge 3 is used, and when the other side of the face is shaved, the razor is reversed so that the shorter edge 2 isV placed against the face. When this is done, and particularly when the shaving takes place in the less accessible parts of the face, the tapered portion of the blade is that by which the short, accurate shaving strokes are made, and said tapered or narrower end portion of the blade will not obscure the portions of the face, and can easily reach recesses in the face since with the latter, the same edge is often repeatedly put to use without realizing that it; is being done.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereof, since various modications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, I have shown the blade provided with a substantially triangular opening I4 for the reception of the several studs III, I2 and 20 projecting from the clamping plate II. The blade is shown as provided with an aperture of this particular shape in order that the marginal portions of the blade around the opening I 4 shall be substantially of the same width so that an evenflexure of the blade occurs when it is clamped in the holder. However, this aperture need not necessarily be of the shape shown, but can be of some other shape or several apertures may be employed. It will be also apparent that the manner in which the portions of the holder co-operate in clamping the blade between them may be materially altered, the feature of primary importance being the shape of the blade and the co-operating elements of the holder, said shape resulting` in the performance of the functions herein set forth.

What I claim is:

l. In a safety razor, a blade in the shape of a right angle triangle, said blade having two cutting edges of relatively different lengths extending from the base of the triangle to the apex thereof, said blade having an opening therein adjacent the base of the triangle for the reception of a holder handle to provide proper balance for the blade when mounted in a holder.

2. In a safety razor, a blade in the shape of a triangle, the triangle having one side shorter than either of the other two sides, the other two sides being of unequal length and constituting cutting edges, said blade having an opening therein adjacent the shorter side of the triangle to provide proper balance for the blade when mounted in a holder.

3. In a safety razor, a head having a guard plate and a clamping plate, a blade held between said plates, both plates and blade being in the form of a right-angle triangle having a short side and two relatively longer sides of different lengths, and a handle for the razor, said handle being disposed adjacent the shorter side of the triangle substantially at the center of gravity of the head to present two relatively long angularly disposed cutting edges cn the longer sides of the blade laterally of the handle while maintaining a balance between the short side and the apex of the triangle.

4. In a safety razor, a head having a guard plate and a clamping plate, a fblade held between said plates, both plates and blade being in the form of a triangle having a short side and two relatively longer sides of different lengths, and a handle for the razor, said handle being disposed adjacent the shorter side of the triangle at the center of gravity of `the head to present two relatively long angularly disposed cutting edges on the longer sides of the blade laterally of the handle while maintaining a true balance between the short side and the apex of the triangle.

HAROLD C. FAY. 

